Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital SMART Edition of The Times-Tribune on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at thetimes-tribune.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device, read the Smart Edition sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Right now, folks dream of Thursday and all the mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and turkey the holiday offers. Local Flavor loves a Thanksgiving meal just as much as the next person, but today it’s all about the other white meat: pork.
(read more)

Article Tools

PHOTO BY WWW.JOHNROCKLINPHOTOGRAPHY.COM / SPECIAL TO THE TIMES-TRIBUNE Louie Setzer & the Appalachian Mountain Boys members Ron Penska, left, Louie Setzer and David Cavage perform during a recent show at Honesdale’s Cooperage. The bluegrass band will perform this weekend at the Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival in Newfoundland.

Nobody starts playing bluegrass expecting to get rich, Ron Penska said. In fact, he figures he’s probably lost quite a bit of money since taking up the pursuit more than 30 years ago.

But the Simpson resident stays at it, because once this traditional form of American roots music gets in your system, it’s hard to shake.

“I used to work overtime to support my bluegrass habit,” said the retired Tobyhanna Army Depot employee with a laugh.

Mr. Penska is the longtime bassist for Louie Setzer & the Appalachian Mountain Boys, a five-piece ensemble fronted by Mr. Setzer, an Easton area resident and renowned figure within East Coast bluegrass circles.

The band features Whites Crossing resident David Cavage on banjo, as well as fiddle player Joe Fili and mandolinist Jeff Propert, both of whom live in New Jersey.

The Mountain Boys play local venues like Honesdale’s Cooperage, plus a number of festivals during the summer months. On Saturday, they’ll be among the acts featured at the 18th annual Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival at G.D.S. Fairgrounds in Newfoundland. The festival will serve as the formal release of the band’s fifth CD, “It Is What It Is.”

“That’s a nice festival,” Mr. Penska said. “It’s one of the few festivals with a covered stage area. You can’t get rained out.”

Also known as ...

Known variously as the “Duke of Bluegrass” and “The Man with Titanium Tonsils,” Mr. Setzer has been a force on the bluegrass scene since forming the Mountain Boys in the early 1970s. He was the founder and first president of the Appalachian Fiddle & Bluegrass Association (AFBA), which holds a popular yearly festival in Wind Gap.

“He’s got this big, powerful voice,” Mr. Penska said. “He’s gotten more people into bluegrass than you can shake a stick at. People come up to Louie all the time and say how he got them into bluegrass.”

Mr. Penska’s introduction to bluegrass came via the Flatt & Scruggs theme song to the popular 1960s sitcom, “The Beverly Hillbillies.” After being exposed to the great duo’s other works, as well as the music of other bluegrass luminaries like Bill Monroe, he was hooked.

“I became a fanatic and kept buying all these albums,” he said.

Eventually, Mr. Penska started playing music, first the fiddle, then the upright bass. He performed with several bluegrass outfits before joining Mr. Setzer’s band around 1985. “I thought I was in bluegrass heaven,” he said.

Extended furlough

The Mountain Boys carried on until the mid-1990s, when Mr. Setzer quit music following a family tragedy.

After nearly a decade of no activity, Mr. Setzer was convinced to pick up his guitar again as the band reformed for the 30th anniversary of the AFBA. The Mountain Boys were “the hit of the weekend,” Mr. Penska said, and they’ve remained together.

“Ever since we’ve gotten back together, it’s just been snowballing. It’s wonderful,” Mr. Setzer said. “Ron Penska’s one of the best bass players on the circuit. And Dave Cavage, no one can hold a candle to that guy. He’s just phenomenal,”

The Mountain Boys put their own special spin on songs by some of bluegrass’ all-time greats, from Jimmy Martin to Mac Wiseman to the Country Gentlemen.

The band covers classic country songs, as well, including Jerry Lee Lewis’ “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)” and Johnny Cash’s “Give My Love to Rose.”

“Louie has a knack for taking traditional tunes and making them his own,” Mr. Penska said.

And the Mountain Boys try to make their shows lively affairs. Mr. Penska, for instance, often spins his bass, or plays it upside down while lying on the floor.

“I don’t like bands who just stand there stiff. You’re entertaining people,” Mr. Penska said. “And somewhere inside Louie is a nuclear reactor. He’s so high energy. And we have really good interaction with the audience.”

“We have a good time when we go out and play,” Mr. Setzer added. “I find when the band is having a good time, the people will have fun.”

Besides the Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival, the Mountain Boys’ shows this summer include the Mohawk Valley Bluegrass Association Festival in Westernville, New York, on Saturday, July 12, and this year’s AFBA Festival in Wind Gap on Friday, Aug. 1.

They won’t be wracking up huge paychecks at these gigs, but they will be having a really good time, Mr. Penska said.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.